Simple Complications
by paperbkwriter
Summary: In her second year at USC Bella likes to keep it simple, she likes her life, her friends and has a good idea of what she wants from her future. But when it comes to matters of the heart, can their lives keep from getting complicated? AH
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone. So this is my first try at writing something creatively. It's kind of a bit of fun but I'd really appreciate any comments, advice or reviews.**

**When I first read Twilight, I read Bella as having a much more sarcastic sense of humour than I think most people read her as having. So I figured I'd explore that a little. I also wanted to playa round with the idea of what makes each character "human" so no vampires here unfortunately.**

**At the moment I don't have anyone proofing my stuff except me so sorry any errors I've missed.**

**I hope you enjoy.**

The droplets of water flicked out over the counter and down my shirt, mostly missing their supposed target of the flat bread in front of me. I chuckled to myself and absent-mindedly rubbed the damp splatters down my front as I tossed the bread under the grill and turned my attention to the microwave. My soup popped loudly in the carton and I rushed to pull it out before it could explode. Slopping it into the ready bowl, I grabbed cloth and wiped up the splodges of goo, smiling at some of the permanent brightly coloured marks that no amount of bleach would budge; my housemate had some… creative… ideas on how best to use kitchen appliances. I swiped my bread and flicked off the grill, picked up my tray and scuttled back to my room.

I plonked myself down at my desk and cast a guilty look at the books and folders which seemed to glared at me from the floor and shelves. I knew I _should_ be reading, or writing one of my many essays, or organising my notes, something at least vaguely productive maybe, but I quickly pushed the guilt away. It's a Sunday. Sundays were made for home comforts and wonderfully empty minds. If I couldn't indulge my brain with some time off now, when could I? My eyes slid over to my laptop screen which glowed at me like a welcoming smile. My flatmate, Alice, left early this morning for one of her dance classes and as it was lunchtime and she had not reappeared I could safely assume that Jasper had made an appearance. If he had come by to pick up his sister she would undoubtedly be over at Rose's place now soaking up every second in his company she possibly could. I stretched out and grinned; perfect! I had my own little secret treat that I hadn't had a chance to enjoy for a fortnight.

As an English major had to read a lot so it may seem odd that I would choose to spend my free time reading fan fiction online. Okay so a lot of it was terrible, or repetitive with bad grammar and obvious plots but I loved it. I loved seeing people put their own spin on the books; I loved seeing the characters and events in new ways; I loved seeing how much people got from the original stories and I loved that they shared it all so willingly. Every now and then you would find a gem but even the rubbish got my respect; they were putting themselves out there. A lot of the people on my course were literary snobs, trying to outclass each other with their ability to quote Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens or Marlowe all the while forgetting that they had been the pop fiction writers of their day. I had a real soft spot for the tacky and truly awful. Alice said it made me stand out amongst a class full of cardboard cut outs but even she didn't know about my Sunday secret. Maybe I was a little embarrassed- my inner academic scolded my poor taste- but maybe I just didn't want to have to justify something I enjoyed on such a simple level.

When I finally heard the front door snap shut and Alice sing out a greeting I had already logged off after two very contended hours and was pulling a sheet of cookies from out little oven. Baking was another traditional activity for a lazy Sunday in our flat. Alice drifted into the kitchen and I was surprised by her mood; usually after any time with or even near Jasper she was so… well… jazzed!

"Hey Alice, you want a cookie? Fresh from the oven!" I waggled the tray at her and she took one with a small smile lifting the edges of her mouth. "So, what's up? I was expecting you to be all Jazzed up." I teased lightly. Her mouth hitched up again at our silly in joke and she bit into the cookie before sighing heavily.

"Bella, why are men so useless?" she moaned. "He has to know how much I like him. He just has to. I'm not so psycho stalker but I'm hardly playing it cool." I chuckled at that; Alice was as close to being obsessed as I could imagine anyone being without actually resorting to stalking but it was true that she kept a handle on it while Jasper was actually nearby. "But he doesn't act on it. Ever. In fact he does the opposite. He goes on a date. With his ex!" Alice threw up her hands, launching the cookie at the ceiling. We both laughed when it hit me in the face on the descent.

"Okay so I need more details" I dragged out of our kitchen area over to the sofa. Apart from our bedrooms and the bathroom, our flat was one big, open plan, room. I pulled her down onto the cushions and shook the crumbs out of my hair. "Start from the top, I assuming you went for lunch a the union with Rosalie and Jasper after dance class? When you say ex do you mean Maria? And what do you mean "date"?".

"Yes, yes and well, okay, so it wasn't like a 'date' date. She was passing through town for work or something and wanted to catch up. Flimsy excuse if you ask me though. She is apparently seeing someone else now too but Jasper said she quickly changed the subject when she found out he was still single and wouldn't talk much about the guy. I bet she was just testing the water, seeing how Jasper would react. A Psychology major and supposed human behavioural "genius" should be able to see that. She's like his human blind-spot or something."

I hated hearing Alice sound so negative. She was so upbeat, all the time and coupled with her cheery stubbornness she often drove me crazy but I'd never trade it for this foreign hopelessness. It was just another sign to me of how much she liked Jasper. A single kind word or gesture and she'd be soaring higher than ever but at the flip side was that he was the only thing that could bring her this low. I decided to change tack.

"As I remember, Rosalie was never a fan of Maria and we all know Rose is not one to keep her opinions to herself"

"Ha! Rose is about as subtle as a brick to the face!" Alice cracked. This was more like the Alice I knew. "She was brilliant. She said she doesn't care if Maria has an agenda or not, she's not worth the time or the energy it takes to even say her name then changed the subject. She was back on the whole 'will dating ruin my dance discipline?' merry-go-round before Jasper could get a word in."

"She's still into Emmett then?" I questioned lightly. Rose met Emmett last year in our first semester and fell head over heels. Emmett was more than willing and hadn't dated any other girl since his one and only date with Rose. But being ambitious, disciplined, super independent Rosalie meant she had gotten in her own way so much that they still weren't together. Emmett may have been on a sports scholarship but he took his studies just as seriously as Rose whose major in engineering held joint top priority with her love and dedication to dance. She may not have had Alice's natural gift for movement but then again few people did; Alice couldn't walk in a straight line without looking as fluid and graceful as a ballerina on the stage. Still, Rose wasn't far off and she was much more ambitious than my pixie flatmate.

Alice didn't deign my obvious question with a reply, she rolled her eyes and rearranged herself on the couch. She flicked the TV on and began jumping through the guide to find. She looked absent-minded but I could practically hear the wheels spinning in her head as she dissected Jasper's every move and word. She switched to some fashion based reality show but the way her eyes suddenly sparkled went beyond her love for the fashion world. She whirled in her seat, her spiky hair practically quivering with glee.

"I totally forgot! It's Emmett's Birthday next weekend. There having a big party over at his place and we're all invited. Apparently his brother is coming down for it too." She smirked at that last comment. I had met Edward Cullen once before at one of Emmett's games. My co-ordination is notoriously poor so with my mind was back in the library with an assignment and not on the task in hand I had walked smack into him, drenching us both in soda. I stood there, gawping at the most attractive person I had ever laid eyes on as he shook ice out of his shirt, before mumbling an apology and running away. Not my finest moment. He had to leave right after the game so I wouldn't have had to endure the embarrassment for very long if only Emmett hadn't found out. He thought it was so hilarious it was his duty to tease me about it. I knew I must be frowning at the memory as Alice stifled a mischievous giggle.

"Woohoo." I snarked, my frown deepening. "Maybe I can douse him in orange soda this time? Or juice? Or dip" Alice had given into her giggles by this point and my tirade soon fell away into self-deprecating chuckles. "Really Alice, I don't need another chance to embarrass myself in front of him. I know you have a plan brewing. It can't be as simple a setting me up to make a fool of myself. I know it's Emmett's birthday but can't we make him a cake instead of giving him more ammo?"

"Okay, okay, so I do have a plan and it really doesn't involve you much at all. You just need to be my wingman, or girl. This party will so fun, it'll be a great place for me to make sure Jasper forgets all about Maria and her drama. I can show him how _I _am just so much more fun." She was beaming now. Gone was all the worry and angst, Alice never stayed defeated for long and I knew how much she loved to have a plan. "I'll have to go shopping. Or maybe I can do some tweaking" Alice was a Fashion and Design major and often raided both our wardrobes for old clothes which she could re-invent.

"Why bring Edward into it then?" Oops. I scolded my big mouth for not keeping schtum and letting Alice think I was as absorbed in her plan as I was. She didn't need to know I was wandering off into thoughts of bright green eyes and dishevelled bronze hair. Alice wasn't fooled but she let this one go.

"Oh I just wanted to get you onside." She twinkled at me. " I know how you feel about my Jasper 'schemes'". She stuck out her tongue and I grinned. Her good mood was always so infectious.

We both settled in to watch the TV, with Alice running commentary on the various outfits produced by the shows contestant. Every now and then she would have a flash on inspiration for her "Jasper party plan" as she now called it. My mind wandered back and forth between the week ahead, the party and, occasionally, Edward. I usually approached big parties with trepidation; they intimidated me and made me feel awkward which usually only exacerbated my clumsiness. But those emerald eyes kept flitting through my mind sending a tingle of excitement down my spine. As Alice sparkled over her outfits choices I found that I began to mirror her enthusiasm. Maybe this party would be fun after all.

Either way, I had a whole week of classes to deal with first.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My alarm bleeped at me belligerently. I humphed myself out of my duvet and over to my desk to switch it off. I had learned to keep my alarm clock out of reach if I actually wanted to get out of bed on time. The snooze button may seem like a great idea but it had proven to be my downfall on more than one occasion. Better to just to get up and get on with it. I was not a morning person. I heard Alice singing in the shower as I rummaged through my drawers for clean clothes and mentally grumbled that her perkiness started the moment she opened her eyes.

"Beeeellllaaaaa" She sang out, her voice ringing like a bell. "The bathroom's all yours!"

How on earth did she do it? I stood for a moment, baffled in my sleepy fug. When I emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later I looked and felt (and probably smelled) a lot more human. I contemplated blow drying my hair but decided to pull it into a long braid instead. Monday's were as low maintenance as possible. I shoved some dirty clothes into my laundry bag and made a mental note to ask Alice if wanted to put anything in a dark wash. I'd packed my bag, a chocolate brown leather satchel which Alice had found for me in a vintage shop back home, the night before but I still groaned as I hefted it onto my shoulder. As I headed for the door, Alice danced out of the kitchen passing me a thermos of coffee, a granola bar and an apple. We had gone through our morning routine so many times now it was like clockwork. As a gulped at the coffee I mentally thanked whoever it was who had given me Alice as a roomie last year. I thanked them pretty much daily. Usually around this time.

We chattered as went walked onto campus. Alice and I had only one class together this term and it wasn't until Thursday. As she turned off towards the business school I scanned the groups of students scurrying by for my friend Angela. I resented my electives. If it were up to me I'd never have to deal with anything beyond my beloved literature. I was getting them out of the way as soon as I could this year but that mean this semester had been pretty intense so far. Having Statistics first thing on Monday morning had seemed overwhelming until I'd walked in on the first day to see Angela Webber sitting near the front. She had lived in the room across from Alice and I last year. Her roomie, Lauren, kick Angela out of their room whenever she brought a boy home. She spent too many nights to count crashing on our floor.

"Hey Bella!" she called out as she waved from across the quad. She leaned over to give the boy next to her a shy kiss on the cheek before jogging over to me. Angela was so modest and shy. She'd never even mentioned a hint of a boy. My shock must have been written all over my face. "That's Ben by the way. I have Chem. Lab with him. He took me out on Saturday. Isn't he cute?"

"Um… yeah… sorry.. What?" I spluttered. She launched into her explanation as we entered our class and took our seats but our gossip was cuts short when the class begun.

When we met Alice for lunch we had a full twenty minutes of cross examination before Rose joined us. Turns out she had liked Ben for ages but hadn't had the confidence to talk to him. They had been working on a project together and when the library closed Ben suggested they get take out and go back to his to keep working. They ended up going for dinner instead. Rose's arrival signalled a change in Alice's focus though.

"Where's Jasper today Rose?"

"Oh he's having lunch with Emmett. Apparently there's a lot to plan for the "awesome party to end all parties"." She rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress the small smile that flashed across her face any time she mentioned Emmett.

The mention of the party set Alice off. She soon had Rose and Angela tangled into her plan. Rose had high standards and was very protective of her twin brother but she had always supported Alice. She thought Alice and Jasper would be great together and although she didn't always agree with Alice's methods she was usually willing to help out. I drifted off into my own thoughts about the party, nervousness mixing with anticipation. I was lost in my thoughts until Rose brought me back to Earth.

"…time to just go for it. We'll have the last few weeks of school before the break to give it a trial run. I've thought it through. I've got it planned out. As much as it can be. It think he'll like it. I know I can't put a bow on it but it's the best present I can think of."

I'd never heard Rose say so much in one go. She must be talking about Emmett but I wasn't sure I could trust my ears. Alice was bouncing in her seat and Angela was picking at her lunch with a wide smile. She'd always found Rose a little intimidating. Most women did. Rose didn't like to appear weak which was one of the reasons she never really talked about Emmett or her feelings.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Alice crowed. "This party is going to be amazing. Okay Rose, Ang, you are coming round to the flat before hand Ang, tell Ben to meet you there. What were you thinking of wearing? Can I help you pick? Oh Rosalie! I've got a great idea, I could sew a bow onto the shoulder of that red top, like a corsage!"

I let Alice get carried away as I let Rose's words sink in. I was pleased for her, she was the only thing preventing what I knew could be a strong, happy relationship. But I understood her apprehension. Relationships had a way of affecting everything else in your life; no matter how simple you wanted things to be, having to factor in another person to your decisions always created complications. Rose liked to be in control and I know the idea of someone having that kind of influence over her was difficult for her to accept. I leaned over and whispered under my breath

"I always knew you were a smart girl Rose." She grinned appreciatively as Alice continued to gush. I looked around the table at my friends. So much had happened the past few days. So many ups and downs- it made my head spin. I found myself hoping that the rest of the week would be less dramatic!

"So Angela, you;ll have Ben and I'll be with Jasper and Rosalie will have Emmett. Good job Edward will be there, ay Bella?" Alice waggled her eyebrows at me. I sighed. I would be lying if I said I'd forgotten him even for second but Alice didn't need to know that.

"Alice, don't make me give you the speech again. Boys are complications. Rose has got it right: you've got to be sure they're worth it before you let yourself get all tangled up."

"I don't know Bella, maybe a little bit of fun would do you good." For the second time today I stared at Angela with my jaw open. "Ben and me, I mean, I know I liked him before but it just sort of happened. Don't get me wrong Rose" her eyes darted over apologetically "but you there is such a thing as over thinking it." Rose and Alice both nodded fervently in agreement.

"Urgh! I am not the one over thinking things here" I shot back. "I've met this guy once and I threw a drink over him. It's hardly the world's greatest romance." I could see Alice opening her mouth to argue but I cut across her. "Yes, he's gorgeous but I'm hardly the only girl who thinks that. He might have a girlfriend."

"He doesn't. Emmett said he wanted to find him a nice girl" Rose stated, calmly examining her manicured nails. Alice looked triumphant, I could hear the wheels beginning to spin.

"We know nothing about each other. We might have nothing in common. He might not like me. I might not like _him!_ Anyway, I have classes to get to." I shrugged and swept up my bags before Alice got get a word in. I knew I 'd hear it all this evening anyway. Maybe tonight I would go to the library and work late.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I did a pretty good job of avoiding the subject of Edward and the party in the days that followed. Well I avoided talking about it. I couldn't keep my mind from wandering off, even sometimes class which was not normal Bella behaviour. Usually class was time for thinking about that class, not whether or not Edward's eyes were really as green as I remember or if I was just exaggerating. I began to slightly resent this ghost who stalked through my mind messing it up. As if I needed any more proof that boys had no place in a straight forward life.

When my cellphone leaped to life next to me I realised my heart had already been racing. I shook my head as I looked down to see the caller ID.

"Hey Dad! What's up? It's 3pm on a Thursday, shouldn't you be patrolling the mean streets of Forks?"

"Hey Bells, very funny" My Dad's voice rumbled through the receiver. "I'm on early shifts this week. Just wanted to call and see how you were. Have you had any thoughts about plans for the holidays?" He hesitated, clearing his throat before continuing "I'm not the only one whose looking forward to see you y'know."

"Daaaad" I whined, suddenly feeling sixteen again "let's not go there shall we? I don't know my exact plans yet but I'll definitely be coming to Forks. Oh hey, I haven't mentioned anything to Alice yet but I had a thought. Her parents are doing some high society stint somewhere fancy. I was going to see if she wanted to spend the holidays with us instead, as long as you don't mind?" I knew Charlie would say yes. He adored Alice since day one. Last time she came up to Forks she attacked his wardrobe which hasn't altered since before I was born and gave it a "make over". He just laughed and ruffled her hair. Even when she used his fishing jacket to practise embroidery techniques on.

"Of course Bella, as long as she doesn't mind our pull out couch again. Maybe I should try and get a new mattress" I chuckled. My dad didn't spoil me in the generally accepted use of the term but he had his own ways of showing he cared. "I'll be going down to La Push this weekend for the game. You want me to ask Billy if you can borrow the truck for the holidays?"

I flinched, suddenly grateful that we were on the phone and Charlie couldn't see my lips twitch into a brief sneer. I loved that old chevy truck it had been mine since I moved to Forks to finish High School even if it did really belong to the Blacks. But I wasn't seventeen anymore and I didn't if driving my truck meant dealing with the Blacks, specifically Jacob, then it was a sacrifice I would just have to live with.

"No Dad, if Alice comes we may road trip it up in her car. Like I said, no plans yet. We'll figure something out." My Dad grumbled under his breath. I missed the exact words but I got the gist. He though I was being stubborn. He was right. "Anyway Dad, I've got to go, I said I'd meet Rose at the library. I'm going to be late."

"Okay Bells" He sighed a little before adding "love you kiddo." He obviously wasn't too mad at me then.

Later that night, as I lay in my bed trying to think simple, peaceful thoughts I glared at my phone in frustration. I blamed it and my dad for my current mood. Stupid phone letting my stupid dad call me and make me think of stupid Jacob. It didn't last. I knew I couldn't blame Charlie for my restlessness and I always loved it when he called. I'd been plagued all week by dreams of handsome strangers with reddish brown hair and sparkling eyes. Okay so they were hardly nightmares but it was disconcerting. Tonight would be different though, tonight I'd be lucky if I slept at all. If I did I my dreams would be angry, hurt, frustrated- they would be Jacob dreams.

I tried to distract myself. I thought about Saturday and Alice's master plan, which had engulfed the whole day, and smiled. I allowed myself to feel the irrational excitement I'd been fighting back all week. I drew in a deep breath, tensing up all my muscles into tiny little bunches before slowly releasing them as I exhaled. It was trick my mom taught me to relax before sleep and it always worked. As I rolled onto my side and snuggled into my pillows I realised that for the first time since it had been mentioned, I wanted to hug Emmett for his stupid birthday party- after today I needed to distraction. The party would certainly be that.


End file.
